good evening from washington, i'm bret baier. the service in newtown, just about to get started, remembering the 26 people gunned down in that school friday morning, most of them children. we're told that before the vigil, the president met with family members as well as first responders. this acumenical will have song before the president speaks and the president is the primary author of this speech we'll hear tonight. this auditorium filled with family members, first responders. let's listen this as the piano music starts before the president walks in. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ >> as we wait for the president to arrive. let's bring in our panel. senior writer for the weekly standard, steven hayes, kirsten powers, nina easton and charles krauthammer. and steven, we talked about what the president wants to do tonight. >> i think his main message is to communicate to the people across the country that we're altogether in this. that we're with the people in newtown, that we're thinking about you, we're praying alongside you.